Yellowcard recorded their first LP, Midget Tossing, at the Music Factory in Jacksonville Beach with Michael Ray FitzGerald at the board.

The members of Yellowcard began the search for a new bass player and chose Alex Lewis, whose sister, Alieke Wijnveldt, contributed vocals to the Ocean Avenue track "View from Heaven".

In late 2003, Yellowcard finally broke through with a hit single, "Ocean Avenue", in part due to the song premiering on MTV's Total Request Live.

The band had originally announced that the album was expected for August 2005, but production and other delays pushed the release date back several months.

Prior to the release of Lights and Sounds Ryan Key said that this ambitious album would probably alienate a large portion of the group's fan base, and that he was "100 percent okay with that.

Between the months of January and March 2007, studio footage labeled "Yellowcard Sessions" regarding the band's progress on making the album was posted on their Myspace, with a new video added every Thursday.

At the show, lead singer Ryan Key announced to a sold-out crowd that the new album would be titled Paper Walls.

On July 9, Yellowcard released Paper Walls on the group's Myspace music player to give fans a taste of what was to come on the new album.

The DVD contains exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the band, an extensive photo gallery and two additional live bonus tracks.

While touring for Paper Walls, Peter Mosely announced in a Myspace blog message that he would be leaving Yellowcard to pursue other endeavors, moving back to Jacksonville and rejoining his old band.

[14] The band canceled several European shows in January due to drummer Longineu Parsons taking a couple months off.

Ryan Key and Sean O'Donnell of Reeve Oliver formed a small side project called Big If.

Josh Portman, the former bass player, was replaced by Sean O'Donnell of Dogwood and Reeve Oliver and Ryan's other side project, Big If.

In the May issue of Alternative Press, former bassist Pete Mosely revealed he was contacted by Parsons about rejoining before the band reconvened, but ultimately decided not to reunite with the rest of Yellowcard.

[23] Responding to the apparent lack of Yellowcard's older work at The Glass House show, Key stated that it was to keep the energy up in the crowds.

[25] In fall 2011, the band headlined a U.S. tour with Go Radio and Every Avenue (with whom Ryan Key had co-written two songs: "Girl Like That" (2009) and "Tie Me Down" (2011)).

Beginning on November 28, 2011, and continuing into December, Yellowcard participated in a Co-Headlining a Tour with Saves The Day and supporting act The Wonder Years.

On February 3, 2012, Sean O'Donnell posted a message on Yellowcard's website stating he was leaving the band because he was getting married and wanted to focus on his family.

Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low, Cassadee Pope of Hey Monday, and Taylor Jardine of We Are the In Crowd were confirmed to be appearing as guest vocalists on the album.

[28] On May 3, 2013, the band confirmed rumors via Twitter about the recording of an acoustic remake of Ocean Avenue in honor of the platinum album's 10th anniversary.

During January and February 2014, Yellowcard completed a second leg of the Ocean Avenue Acoustic across the United States in cities that the group had not previously performed; the tour was supported by What's Eating Gilbert.

On March 20, Yellowcard announced it had left Hopeless Records after three years and three albums to sign a worldwide multi-album deal with Razor & Tie.

[33] Yellowcard toured the UK with Less Than Jake in the spring of 2015 and Australia with Mayday Parade in the summer of 2015 and in the U.S. with New Found Glory from October 18 to November 22, 2015.

On June 25, 2016, the band announced on its website that the group would be breaking up after a final tour, stating: "Please come and join us on our last trip around the globe.

– Richard Busch[45] Yellowcard ultimately chose to drop the lawsuit in 2020 after Juice Wrld's mother became the representative of his estate.

Busch stated that the band was "very sympathetic not only of Juice Wrld's death, but also needed time to decide whether they really wanted to pursue the case against his grieving mother as the personal representative of his estate."

On February 14, 2023, the band announced a summer tour to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Ocean Avenue across the U.S. alongside Mayday Parade, This Wild Life, Story of the Year, and Anberlin.

Key has cited Third Eye Blind, Radiohead, No Use for a Name, the Foo Fighters, Weezer, Coldplay, Propagandhi, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, the Smashing Pumpkins and NOFX as some of his most prominent musical influences.

[59][60] Mackin, the band's violinist, has cited Itzhak Perlman as one of his favorite composers, and was primarily influenced by classical music in his younger years.

[61] Parsons, the band's founding drummer, has credited watching Headbangers Ball on MTV and listening to Pantera with sparking his initial interest in rock and heavy metal.